By the end of last year, it was obvious something wasn’t working anymore.
On paper, our retail delivery network looked solid. We were moving inventory to hundreds of stores, fulfillment locations, and partners every week. Routes were planned. Carriers were scheduled. Reports were generated.
But day to day, it felt like we were constantly putting out fires.
Missed delivery windows became routine. A store would call asking where their truck was, and my team would scramble to piece together updates from carriers and cross-docks. Returns showed up late or without warning. Peak season planning turned into guesswork.
We had data. We had tracking. But every exception still required manual follow-up.
The real wake-up call wasn’t one big failure. It was realizing how much time we were spending reacting instead of actually running the business. My team wasn’t planning inventory — we were chasing problems.
Going into 2026, it was clear our last-mile operation wasn’t going to scale the way it was built. Something had to change.
By Jared, Inventory Operations Manager at a National Speciality Retailer
Smarter retailers aren’t just driving; they’re orchestrating. See how intelligence changes the game.
Read the Retail Strategy